My cooler stays right around 70%, but I rarely smoke my cooler stock. These are either gifting/sending cigars, or I'll rotate them to one of my humidors to sit for awhile before smoking. The humi's run 63-65% except in the winter when that drops to about 60%. Just about everything burns & smokes perfectly, so it works for me.
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I use heartfelt 65% beads. I usually keep the RH around 65%-60%. If it drops to 58% or lower, I mist the beads again.
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I used to keep mine around 70% and had all sorts of burn and draw issues so I dropped it down to around 62%. I've hardly had any problems since. :-)
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I prefer to keep my humidor around 72-74%, it's all about personally preference.
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yes and no.


Yes, it is personal preference if you prefer to smoke your cigars a bit on the moist side.

No, it is not personal preference due to smoking issues that arise...It's been debated before many times over and I'm sure the OP would/could have found the discussion if he tried a tad harder but I digress.

I have found that keeping my cigars closer to 70% will create tunneling issues during my burn. I have also found that my cigars tend to have a harder time staying lit.

I'm not one to argue so try it out and see if you get more or less problems smoking. I don't smoke too often so I could be wrong all over.
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I feelings exactly! :-)
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Anywhere From 60-65 After Many Years Of Trial & Error!:-)
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The Dude Abides.

:-)

It takes a LOT of smoking to figure this out!

And, as RadioMan said, Cameroon is a b*tch. I have a separate humidor completely JUST for those.
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I like to use 70% beads...they keep at just about 68% at 70 degrees.
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I agree wth Bao's assessment, 74% not only can lead to burn issues but also to the dreaded mold issues.

Me? I like 60-62%. I also have a separate desktop for NCs that I keep at 65%.
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74% is getting real close to mold issues. It only takes 80% for mold to grow and thrive. It's a dangerous place to be, especially considering some spots can get wetter than others.
I keep a 65% for my cc's and singles and odd stuff, but the bulk of my ready to smoke stuff is at 63%.
The actual amount of water in a cigar from 60 to 65% is so tiny that it's amazing how much difference the flavor and burn can be. It's really interesting, too. And fun to mess with. :-)
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For long term storage I keep my cabinet at 65-70%. I personally think cigars age better at a little higher RH, but many would disagree with me.

Like the Admiral I have a separate NC humidor I keep around 65%.

My "smoking" humidor I keep 60% beads in. Don't have a hygrometer in that one - I just trust the beads.
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Started out at 65%. I got some of Scott's beads during the last go round and my desktop settled at 60%. Since I'd read that some of the members here liked the low 60s or even high 50s, I decided to give it a shot. I'm having fewer burn issues as long as I give new sticks a few weeks to acclimate, and it does seem to make the flavors pop more.
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I guess I am the odd duck. Load of burn and draw issues at 63% but little or now problems at 66-67%. As has been said, it is all personal preference, which may require some experimentation.

The trick of getting the wrapper slightly (stress slightly) damp before smoking has worked well for me in smoking outside in cold temps where the humidity is either way up or way down. :-)
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I like to keep mine at 67.3256 rh. Just kidding.:-) Truthfully, I'm totally okay with anything between 65 and 70 which is where it usually is. Why? I have fluctuating beads, I think. I have more issues with poorly rolled cigars than I have with rh, and even this is not that much.

Larry
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Low 60's here.

70% makes me more worried than 50%.
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:-) Or, if you have a cooler or cabinet, towards the top. RH rises.
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Forgive me ignorance, but what does the "NC" stand for?
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NC = Non Cuban (Cigar)

vs.

CC = Cuban Cigar
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Thanks! Out of curiosity, is there a reason why non-cuban cigars should be kept separate from cubans?

As far as rh settings, I just recently got a montegue cabinet humidor and am in the process of filling it. So far I have been keeping it right around 68-70, but after reading this thread, I am considering lowering the rh a bit...
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